Your Favorite Breed(s) and Why You Love Them

My favorite breed (so far) is the GSD. I have two and they are smart, loyal, obedient and just overall fantastic dogs. They are "velcro dogs" and follow me everywhere. They want nothing more than to be with me.

German Shepherd Dog Traits

My dogs, Jaia (male) and B'asia (female), both 8 years old.





This is Jaia, just in time for Valentine's Day...



He's a conspiracy theorist at times.



He's goofy, too..


And this is B'asia:





I would love to have a Coton de Tulear and may get one eventually. They are quite a change from the GSD, but I love them because they're a big dog in a little dog's body.

So, what are your favorite breeds and why?

Molossers for a huge variety of reasons!

I am not really a fan of most modern breeds, as breeding has become almost entirely about form at the cost of function. There are some working on revitalizing breeds like the GSD and even brachycephalic breeds (renascence bulldog).

I have had 3 German Shepard's over the years, they are terrific dogs. Loyal , protective, smart and a great deal of fun to be around. After I lost my last Shepard I decided to adopt from the local SPCA. As I walked through the Kennels looking at the dogs who were available, I came across this sad looking puppy who had just been rejected by a family. Poor little guy looked so sad. I got in the cage with him and he kind of looked at me sideways. I said hi to him and the tip of his tail started to wag ever so slightly. I was totally charmed. He was just 4 months old. Then I told him I liked him and the tail really started to wag. He looked me straight in the eye and I said to him "Do you want to come home with me?" He jumped on me and gave me loads of kisses. I adopted him on the spot.

I asked the folks at the SPCA what his breed was and they didn't know. Thought he was a rottie mix of some kind. When I got him home I got out my AKC book and discovered that I had adopted a pure bred Gordon Setter. He was one of the best dogs I have ever had. Extraordinarily smart and just full of energy. He was very easy to train and completed his 12 week obedience course in 9 weeks. He became my constant companion and I took him everywhere with me. He charmed everyone he met.

Sadly I lost him to cancer at the age of 7. Because of my experience with him, When I was able to get another dog, I got another Gordon and as it turns out he is just as much fun as my last one. He's too smart for his own good and Would be a fantastic hunting dog if I hunted. He has the natural instinct to hunt and has stalked and pointed at birds in the yard since he was 8 weeks old. He's now 6 years and is still a great joy in my life. His name is ORION



Orion is the product of a breeding program started by a doctor in the Midwest to breed the Gordon Setter back to it's normal size of 45 to 55 pounds. Unfortunately the AKC and other kennel clubs have bred the dogs to a larger size and with a longer coat. These traits kind of defeat the purpose of the breed and the people in this breeding group are dedicated to preserving the breed as it was intended to be.

Bearded Collie now living with us at "wits end"....got him from the shelter.

"Monkey"



I had a Cardigan Corgi that I still grieve for. My attachment to that dog was surreal.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Partial to German breeds myself!





Had the privilege of having some amazing rottweiler companions in my life.

a reply to: lonegurkha

Orion is beautiful! I like the breeding program. I think dogs should be bred for their original purpose as much as possible and not just for looks.

a reply to: olaru12

Monkey is so cute! He reminds me of our mix that we lost in 2013, only she was black.

a reply to: Ashirah

Rotties are another favorite breed of mine. Their temperament is similar to the GSD.

I wish I could have one of each!

I would have to say best dog I've had was a pit. Dane's are a great breed, but they don't live a long time.
Papillons are fun little lap dogs.
Other than that all I've had are good mutts. The one I have now is a rowdy Aussie shepherd/lab mix.
Probably the most worthless dog I've had was a lazy, slobbering bloodhound. That dog had the vacuum of space where there should have been a brain.

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic
My favorite breed (so far) is the GSD. I have two and they are smart, loyal, obedient and just overall fantastic dogs. They are "velcro dogs" and follow me everywhere. They want nothing more than to be with me.

German Shepherd Dog Traits



So, what are your favorite breeds and why?

My favorite breeds are the Hungarian Puli and the Doberman Pinscher. Stunning dogs. I like the Puli because I don't know it calls to me. It's part of my heritage. I'm part Hungarian and I just love all things Hungarian. (Also all things Irish and British for much the same reason.)

I LOVE Pinschers because I grew up with them when I was younger. Very sweet gentle dogs, not at all vicious as some think them to be. My favorite is when our female was in labor, and our male (a few fries short of a Happy Meal), wanted her to play with him. She about ripped his head off! LOL For his own safety we had to lock him in the bathroom until she was done giving birth.

Puli as a pup


Puli adult


Pinscher pup


Pinscher Adult

Great Pyrenees.
I have 2 and they're the best dogs we've ever had. They are very large dogs, one weighs 115 lbs, the other 140 lbs+. Both are, when off the property, extremely friendly and goofy, allowing just about anyone to pet them and even let very small kids ride them like a horse for short periods. They love to go for walks and playing in the snow is their favorite. They roll, twist and "plow" with their nose when it's deep enough. Out on the street, I could hand you the leash and they would go for a walk with you, if I or my wife told them it was ok and didn't show signs of distress when you were around.

On the property or in the house......they are extremely protective and can be instantly vicious. They are/were used to guard livestock from bears and wolves in the Pyrenees Mountains, so people and other dogs are no real threat. They have thick fur at the throat, so many dogs can not get a grip. At 140 lbs, Kady can easily over power just about anyone who comes along. We had a temporary set of concrete steps [ roughly 350 lbs ] leading to the back porch, while some deck construction was going on. I tied her to those once to go do something, when a stranger came in the back gate, wanting to sell cable TV. She moved the steps several feet when she went after him.They are highly intelligent and require a minimum of training.
Such large dogs can feel like having extra people in the house, but they are more than worth it.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

The breeder I got Orion from keeps in contact with me and while they were not breeding for the last several years, they are going to start breeding again. They still have Ori's mom and dad and his brother. They are now too old to breed and they are going to get a couple of dogs from the group to start breeding again. They are very careful and never breed the females more than 3 times with a good deal of time between breedings. When the dogs have had 3 litters they are neutered.

I can't imagine what having that many Gordons would be like. One of them is a handful. These folks are in downstate New York on the Pa. border. Terrific folks we chat several times a year. I would get another dog from them as they really care about the breed.

Same as you!, and pretty much same reason, ive never had such a loyal dog as germ shep, he always did what he was told. He was a bit of a chewer as a pup!, but grew outta that pretty quick. Another reason why i favor them is they seem to make alot of random noises!!, which makes me laugh!. Im relocating soon, back to the country and one of reasons why is so i can have another germ shep, i havent got the space at the mo.
All the best.
B. V. H
a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

I love shepherd dogs.. I had a couple collies. They were nice, and actually smarter than most other dogs.. I had heard that they were kind of dumb. Very sweet dogs. I had a connection with Shiloh in the picture there. He knew when I was going to go outside or smoke or anything.. Way before I put on shoes or a jacket.. I thought of going outside and he comes into the room like "are you getting ready yet?"

He was the kind of dog that's smart enough you would sometimes have awkward moments of silence.



He even took care of our cats kittens she had when she was 9 months old. She had no idea what to do. She had hidden them behind the oven so we couldn't find them. We asked shiloh where they were and he went and pointed at the stove. He was sort of their giant doggy dad.





I've always wanted a German Shepherd. Ever since I was 3 or 4. Maybe some day soon though. I'm thinking about it. Met 5 of them on a farm.. I went over to help a friend brush the horses and take them out of the barn they were in. The horses had 5 German Shepherd friends. At first I wasn't allowed near the horses haha.. My friend had to introduce me to the dogs before they were ok with me.. So protective..

Another dog I'm thinking about is a Rottweiler. My mom always told me they were scary and mean. So I thought that until my roommate got one. ((to be fair there was a crazy one in the neighborhood that would bite kids))
He was so sweet and smart. HE had those same eyes that my collie had.. Like he knows way too much.. Kind of that out of the corner glance, like "come on human I'm messing with you." He even learned to skateboard without anyone even telling him we had a skateboard.. He just found it in the corner one day and started riding it. I miss that "little" guy.. Huge dog.. lol.






Who knows I may get another collie. I miss them a lot.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Golden Retrievers, we've had 3 of them over the years since my wife and I got married. They're a great family dog. Great with kids and very people oriented. Every time we considered getting another breed, we always came back to the golden's. They have such a friendly and cute face.

This is our golden Issac he has a great temperment with my kids has never snipped at them the only thing that drives me nuts is his need to chew threw every thing he can get his Paws on i mean electrical wires, shoes, baseboards, carpet, emergency roadside bag, wooden planks i mean the list goes on and on and on...

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Since it is impossible to replace one furbaby with another,I have had a variety of dogs over the years. Lets see here,Chihuahua,Sheltie,French Bulldog (mini),Mini Boston Terrier,Mini Dachshund,Japanese Chin,and a 35 lb oaf mix breed of Terrier/Basset.

My fav breed from all those? I would have to say the French bulldog. They have great personalities,are just plain fun,and are smart and entertaining. I loved every single one of my babies,but I would have my Frenchie for another 19 years if only I could. Now I'm crying again,DARN IT.

Pits for sure. I babysat one in my early teens and have loved them ever since. on my second generation of them now. Just adopted a white and blue with a sweet temperament and much closer to the old working dog build. I am hoping to train him to pull a cart because we have miles of logging roads here and he needs more than a daily walk. Not a fan of their farts.

The dog closest to me ever though was a rottie/springer spaniel cross that sadly passed a year ago. I'd have kept him forever if possible. He was a Velcro dog for sure. Perfect except for a nasty habit of herding children. He got so stressed at them running that he'd grab them by the ankle to drop them to the ground if they wouldn't stay in a huddle. Walk don't run became the kids motto if the dog was out.

a reply to: ATF1886

This is our golden Issac he has a great temperment with my kids has never snipped at them the only thing that drives me nuts is his need to chew threw every thing he can get his Paws on i mean electrical wires, shoes, baseboards, carpet, emergency roadside bag, wooden planks i mean the list goes on and on and on...

Our golden does the same thing. Except what's weird, she always chews my things not my wife's. We have to make sure she has plenty of chew toys and keep things where she can't reach them. We were always told retrievers take 2 years to get out of their puppy stage. Ours is a year and 3 months. I'm hoping she grows out of this. Our two previous golden retrievers grew out of their chewing stage. Our last one chewed a hole all the way through our garage door!

Yea ive had to repair a couple of walls thanks to him hees great just very hyper and strong AS S*** i walk him i weigh 165 anf he pulls me like A rag doll a reply to: WeRpeons

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

hey, are you still around - we used to chat on the dog forums long ago

I miss you so much! Hope you are doing well.